Eagle Lake, the “Goose-hunting Capital of World” lies about 66 miles west of Houston. Recently the city passed a new get-tough animal ordinance:

1. All dogs over four months must be registered annually.
2. Failure to register your dog may result in fines up to $2,000 a day until registered.

According to Eagle Lake city manager Charles “Tink” Jackson, the idea behind the ordinance is to hold people accountable for their loose dogs. The city has received “so many complaints” about loose dogs. The fee to register your dog is $5.

Also in Eagle Lake, all dogs not on a leash are considered unrestrained and categorized as a public nuisance. The owner is fined and hit with fees.

As a dog lover here’s my reaction to this new heavy-handed dog ordinance.

Way to go, Tink. Thank you Eagle Lake for getting serious and laying the smackdown to irresponsible dog owners. Dogs will now be safer in Eagle Lake.

Geese, not so much.

Bad dog (owners)

Most cities have ordinances on the books about dogs off a leash. Enforcing the ordinance seems to be a challenge. It drives me and my neighbors, those who walk their dogs on a leash, up a wall.

In my little town (great song by Simon and Garfunkel), I see too many people walking their dog off leash. It’s dangerous, particularly to dog owners and their pets who are on a leash. Two streets over, a big dog off its leash, with its owner standing right there, attacked a little dog and sent it to the animal hospital with serious injuries.

One of my neighbors confronted a different dog owner walking his dog off leash and asked him to get the dog on a leash. The dog owner’s reply, “mind your own business.” This is the problem with people who walk their dogs off leash – they’re arrogant or lazy or believe laws don’t apply to them. They’re also bad dog owners. They also put their dogs at risk of injury if they run into the street chasing a squirrel and get splattered by a car.

I see too many people confusing supposed dog owner rights with public safety measures. I can understand people bringing their dogs to restaurants (although I won’t eat at them) but I see too many people bringing their dogs into supermarkets, walking or carrying their dog past the “no pets allowed except service animals” sign. Worse, they put their little Yorkie or similar toy dog in the shopping cart. I know a guy who does this. I told him, that’s disgusting. He said, “It’s ok, I put a pad in the shopping cart for my dog to lie on.”

You think that’s helping?

I love dogs. If my house were on fire and I could save only two things, I rush in to grab my dog. Then I’d put my dog back inside the house and rescue it again.

But I think dog owners need to follow the rules. I live near a park where dogs are not allowed in. I see people bring dogs in there. The Little League complex, which also prohibits pets, is about a half-mile away. When I coached Little League, I would go to the field and pick up dog poop before games. One time I brought a garbage bag filled with dog waste from the Little League field to a city council meeting. The bag didn’t really have poop in it, but council got my point.

One person I saw letting his dog run off leash on the field was a former city councilmember.

Too smart to serve

Enough complaining. Here’s a dog story that ends on a happier note. A group called Patriot Paws trains dogs to assist wounded service vets with their everyday chores. Several years ago, the Donne di Domani spaghetti sauce ladies sponsored a dog that was beginning its training. They named the dog “Hoffy.” I’m a big fan of their marinara sauce.

It turned out that Hoffy was a goofball and flunked out of training. I wrote about my namesake’s inability to pay attention and focus on work. All Hoffy wanted to do was play. This acorn definitely didn’t all from the tree.

I wrote about Hoffy’s dismissal from the program. A former co-worker messaged me – “I want that dog!”

A few months later, the co-worker, now madly in love with the renamed dog, told me, and I swear she said it …

“We think that this dog is so smart that he faked being dumb so he could get out of being a service dog and he could come live with us and have a normal dog’s life.”

Yeah, that’s what he did.